Which band played The Darling Boys?

The Dillards played The Darling Boys on The Andy Griffith Show.

The Darling Boys were the nearly silent sons of Briscoe Darling, the patriarch of a musically inclined mountain family. The family appeared in several episodes, usually arriving in Mayberry with a problem that Andy Taylor had to resolve. Their scenes were typically punctuated by bluegrass performances.

The Dillards supplied the instrumental and vocal music while portraying the four sons. Their lineup included Doug Dillard on banjo, Rodney Dillard on guitar, Dean Webb on mandolin, and Mitch Jayne on bass. Briscoe, played by Denver Pyle, commonly provided the rhythm on a jug, while Charlene Darling was played by Maggie Peterson.

The Darlings first appeared in “The Darlings Are Coming,” which aired in 1963. They returned several times, performing songs such as “Dooley,” “Salty Dog,” and “There Is a Time.” The group is sometimes confused with other folk acts of the 1960s, but The Dillards’ bluegrass identity is central to the Darling family’s sound and screen appearances.